Flame hardening torch



Jan. 30, 1940.

G, L. WALKER V 2,188,637

FLAME HARDENING TORCH Filed Jan. -14, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. L. WALKER FLAME HARDENING TORCH .1m so, 1940.

Filed Jan. 14, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 5 m 4 4 u l ATTORNE Patented Jan. 30, 1940 FLAIVIE HABDENINGJTORCH George L. Walker, Jersey City, N. J., assignor to Air Reduction Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 14, 1937, serial No. 120,484

7 claims. (cl. 26e-4) 'Ihis invention relates to equipment for hardening metal parts and has particular reference vto oxy-fuel gasl torches employed for that purpose.

The rapid heating which can be `obtained with the high-temperature ames of` Oxy-fuel gas torches, especially those using acetylene as the fuel gas, and the convenience with which such heating can be localized, makes such a torch an advantageous source of heating for certain hardl0 ening operations.

It is an object of this invention to provide an I improved torch which not only supplies thevheat also applies a streamof quenching medium" heated metal and in a'denite relation l y heating jets to obtain'the desired hardening 'n to effect uniform hardening. l'

In accordance withone yfeature of thein the relation of the:heating and quen can be changed to regulate the severi quench according to the kind of material' and use for lwhich it is intended.

Another object of the invention is to provide 'the improved apparatus for hardening both sides of a gear tooth simultaneously. The apparatus is suitable for similar hardening operations on both sides of vridges or v:parts other than4 gear teeth having their opposite faces either parallel or extending in angular relation to one another. The invention includes a tip supporting yokeaiording substantially universal adjustment for positioning the tips with respect to the surfaces to be hardened.

Other features of the invention relate to the construction of the yoke, torch, and associated parts through which oxygen, fuel gas, and water or other cooling and quenching medium are conv ducted to the tip. 1

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the specification proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of iiame hardening equipment embodying the invention, the tips being shown widely separated in full lines and in adjusted positions, for heating a gear tooth, in dotted lines;

the line 4 4 of Fig. 1;

p portion II.

Fig. 2 is anenlarged view, partly in section, of

Fig; 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the mixer,

extension tube, and yoke connection of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view onthe Fig. 5; f

Fig. '7 1 isan enlarged view, mostly in section, showing the yoke and tip structure of Fig. 1, the section being taken through the quenching tip of the left-hand tip structure and through the heating tip of the right-hand tip structure y Fig. 8 is a view looking in the direction of the arrows 8,-8 of Fig. 7 but showing part of the line 6-6 of v structure iny section; .to the part, or localfregion to be hardened, but

Fig. 9 is a ,top view taken on the 1ine9-9 of .,'lllbut with the yoke arms turned into differc, ositions to bring the tips closer together than Fig 10:.is an enlarged sectional view on the line of Figi?.-

,ame hardening torch shown in Fig. l

saf-bodyportion II, mixer I2, extension be I3,';1,elbow Il, yoke I5, and two tip structures YWalid I'I, one on each branch of the yoke. The

elbow I4 is replaced with a straight connector when it is more advantageous to have the body portion, mixer, and extension tube in line with the tip or tips instead of at right angles as in Fig. 1. The yoke I5 can be dispensed with when only one tip structure is used. The yoke illustrated provides substantially universal adjustment of the tips. vIf the torch is to be used with two tips but with no adjustment, or only simple adjustment of thev spacing, a yoke structure having fewer joints can be used in place of the universal yoke I5.

At one end of the torch body I I there is a valve block 2li with inlet connections 2|, 22 and 23 for joining the torch to' supply lines for oxygen, fuel gas, and a quenching fluid. The fuel gas used is preferably acetylene. Water is a satisfactory and inexpensivequenching uid, though other liquids or gas are suitabl 'I'he preferred embodiment of the invention 'l1 be described with acetylene and water used as the fuel gas and quenching medium, respectively.

'I'he oxygen inlet connection 2| communicates with a passage 25 leading through the body portion ofthe torch. The inlet connection joins an acetylene passage 26 leading through the body Both the oxygen and acetylene passages 25, 26 are commanded by the same valve in the torch illustrated. 'Ihis valve 28 is shown in open position in Fig. 2.

Water from the inlet connection 23 flows through a passage 30 (Fig. 3) and there is a turn cock 3| in the valve block for shutting oif the water flow.

' comprises a sleeve 33 in which the passages 25, 26,

and 30 extend through pipesas shown in Fig. 4. 'Ihe mixer end of the body portion of the torch is shown in Fig. 5 with the mixer I2 held in position by a nut 35.

The acetylene passage 26 communicates with the end of a mixing bore 31 through the center of the mixer. 'I'he oxygen passage 25 terminates in an annular chamber 38 from which the gas flows through'angularly disposed orices into the mixing bore 31. The water passage 30 ends in an annular space 39 and the mixer has a plurality of Water passages 4I disposed in a circle around the mixing bore and opening into the annular space 39 at one end and another annular space 42 at the discharge end of the mixer.

The extension tube I3 comprises an outer tube 44 and an inner tube 45, each soldered to an adapter 46 at one end and to the elbow'l4 at the other end. The adapter is fastened against the discharge end of the mixer I2 by a connector nut 41. A center opening through the adapter 46 permits mixed gases from the bore 31 to ow into the inner tube 45, while a plurality of other openings through the adapter permitv water from the annular space 42 to flow into the chamber between the outer vtube` 44 and inner tube 45.

The oxygen and acetylene become thoroughly l.mixed during their passage through the extenthrough a ring of passages surroundingthe central opening and terminating in an annular space 49. A gland 50 is soldered into the discharge end of the elbow I4 and has passages com-` municating with the passages through the elbow,

the water passages terminating, as in the other pended to the parts of the tip structure I1.

'I'he tip 85 nts into a conical tip seat in thev parts, .inan annular space 52.

Fig. '1 ls ,hpws the construction of the yoke l5.

A yoke member 54 has its stem portion held against lthe gland 56 by a nut 55 which clamps agalnst a collar 56 on the gland. There is a central gaspassage 51 and side waterfpassages 58 through the stem portion of the yoke, the relation of these passages being best shown in Fig. 9. Similar gas and water passages inthe vertically extending branches of the yoke member 54 are connected with the passages of the stem portion through horizontal conduits l6I) and 6I (Figs. '1 and 8) which are formed by drilling throughv the yoke member and then closing the ends by plugs 62.

An adjusting arm 63 is supported from each branch of the yoke member54. Each adjusting arm 63 has a gland 64 soldered to its upper end, and the gland is held against the lower face of one branch of the yoke member 54 by a nut 65. 'Ihe gland 64 has a circle of water passages with annular spaces at both ends of these passages so that it is not necessary for the water passages -in the gland to register with the water passages in the connected parts. The arm 63 can be swung about the axis of the central gas passage through gland 64 and adjoining yoke branch to eiiect one of the adjustments of the tip.

The outer' 4end of the adjusting arm' 63 has downwardly extending passages near its outer end and a gland 61 soldered to it below these passages, the construction being similar to the upwardly extending gland 64. Horizontal drillings in the arm 63, similar to the passages 60 and 6I in the yoke member 54, provide separate ened.

A tip arm 69 is held against the end of the gland 61 by a nut 10 which screws on threads on the upperportion of the tip arm 69. There is a central gas passage through the gland 61 and a passage 1I through the tip arm inalinement with the center passage of the gland 61. The tip arm 69 can be rotated about the axis of these central gas passages to effect another adjustment of the tip. There is a water passage 13 on each side of the gas passage 1I.

The tip structure I6 includes a head portion comprising a block 14 with a seat which nts a conical end 15 of the tip arm 69. The block 14 is held on the tip arm by a nut 16 and can be rotated about the axis of the conical end 15 to adjust the slope of the tip structure.

There are two annular recesses 18' and 19 in the conical end 15 of the tip arm. 'I'he recess 18 connects with the center passageA 1I through radial ports and an axial passage 8l. The annular recess 19 communicates with the water passagesl 13 through angular ports 82.

and supported by the block 14. The tip 84 ts into arecess in the bottom face of the block,

as shown in Fig. 7, and is held in place by a. bushing 86'which surrounds the tip 84 and threads into therecess far enough to bear against a collar at the upper end of the tip. Water discharges from a conduit 81 in the tip 84 through orices 88. The conduit 81 communicates `with therecess 19 (Fig. 8) through passages9iFig. 7) in l the block 14.

Thereis no sectional view of the'tip85 'but e the construction is the same as that ofthe corblock 14'. A bushing 92 similar tothe bushing Gas from the annularrecess 18 flows through a passage 93 to a central con'- duit 94 in the tip 85. The gas discharges from "the conduit 94' through jet orices 95 and the v gas jets from these orifices are ignited and com' prise the names for heating the part to be' hard- The tip 85 is cooled by' ater flowing through passages 96 which open into an annular recess 91' near the upper end of the tip 85. Water is supplied to this recess 91' through a water passage 98 (Fig. 10) which is a branch conduit from the passage supplying water to the quenching tip 84. The cooling passages 96 terminate in a chamber 99' in the tip and water ows from that chamber through `cooling-water discharge passages |66'.

Fig. 9Vshows the adjusting arms 63 and 63' -rotated into nearly parallel positions in order to bring the tip structures I6 and I1 closer together. The tip arms are turned about the axis Vof the passage 1I to counteract the turning movement of the adjusting arms 63. 'I'he desired angular relation of the heating and quench- 4ing jets is obtained by swinging the tip struc- .the desired spacing from the opposite faces of the gear tooth or other part to be hardened. The torch is then traversed, with respect to the surfaces to be heated, in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 8. The flames from the heating tip 85 heat the surface progressively from right to left. The heating time is determined by the speed of the relative movement of the torch and Work.

The quenching tip 84 moves progressively across the surface a short distance behind the heating tip 85. The construction by which the tips 84 and 85 are attached to the block 14 makes it possible to rotate these tips at their connections to the block 'I4 so that the fiame jets and water jets can be directed against the work in planes parallel to each other, or in converging or diverging planes. When one or both tips are rotated to cause the flame jets and water jets to lie in converging planes then the quenching occurs a shorter distance behind the heating than with the heating and quenching jets directed inparaliell planes. 'I'he time of quenching can be delayed by turning the tips to direct the jets in diverging planes. By means of these tip adjustments the severity of the quench can be regulated according to the kind of steel and the use for which it is intended. The bushings 86 and 92 can be screwed up until they provide enough friction to prevent displacement of the tips from any set positions.

If both of the tips 84 and 85 are made integral With the block 14 the space between the points at which the ame and water jets strike the work can not be adjusted, but a limited range of adjustment can be obtained if either one of these tips is integral with the block but' the other rotatable. Althoughboth tips 84, 85 are adjustable in the illustrative embodiment of the invention, they are attached to the block 14 in such a manner that they form with that block a unitary tip structure.

Changes and modifications can be made in the embodiment which has been illustrated and described, and some features of the invention can be used without others.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a flame hardening torch, a tip structure having two perforate faces and conduits through which fuel gas is delivered to the perforations of one face and a quenching medium delivered to the perforations of the other face so that flame jets and quenching jets are projected from said faces against the surface of the part to be hardened, at least one of said faces being on a portion of the tip structure which is movable with respect to the other face` to change the relation of the perforations in the respective faces and regulate the distance between the regions where the heating jets and the quenching jets strike the surface of the part to be hardened.

2. 1n a flame hardening torch, atip structure comprising a head portion, a perforated face against the work, said tip being movable about its connection to the head portion to cause the heating jets to strike the work at various distances ahead of the quenching medium.

3. In a unitary tip structure for a flame hardening torch, a head portion and two separate tip portions comprising elongated hollow members and each having a plurality of jet orifices opening through one side and extending transversely of the long dimension of the hollow member, a conduit in said head portion through which heating gas is supplied to the hollow interior of one of said hollow members, another conduit in said head portion through which quenching fluid is supplied to the interior of the other hollow member, for projecting quenching jets against the work, a cooling member in the wall of the hollow member that produces the heating flames, and a 4branch conduit in said head portion through which some of the quenching fluid is diverted into said cooling chamber.

4. Flame hardening equipment including a torch body, a tip structure, and a swivel joint in the connection of the .tip structure to the torch body, jet orifices in the tip structure some of which project flames against the work and others of which project quenching fluid streams against the work behind the flames, separate passages through the torch body for fuel gas and quenching medium, and similar passages in the tip structure communicating with those l in the torch body through the swivel joint.

5. A heating torch including a body, a tip structure, and connections between the tip structure and torch body including two or more swivel joints with their axes in such relation that the tip structure has universal movement with respect to the torch body, and two or more conduits leading through the torch body and tip structure and all connecting throughfeach of said swivel joints.

6. A flame hardening torch including a body portion, two separate branches extending generally downward from the body portion, two swivel joints in each of said branches movable about substantially vertical axes, the portion of the branch between the swivel joints extending transversely of the axes of the joints, a downwardly extending portion on each branch below the second swivel joint, and a torch tip connected with each branch at the lower end of said downwardly extending portion, said tips having confronting faces with jet orifices for directing heating flames against opposite sides of a part to be hardened, and being adjustable l toward and from one another by the combined swivel movement of said joints.

7. A ame hardening torch including a body portion connected with the head portion, a con-and quenching fluid to the torch tips, and one duit through which quenching uid is supplied to said perforated face portion for discharge through the perforated face against the work which has been heated by the torch, and a tip held in the head portion and having one or more jet orifices for projecting heating flames or more swivel joints in each branch for effecting adjustment of the spacing of the torch tips from each other, the fuel gas and quenching fluid conduits extending through said swivel joints.

GEORGE L. WALKER. 

